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Enhancement of Bandwidth in a Chirped Quarter-Wave

Dielectric Mirror
a b c d
C.-J. Wu , B.-H. Chu , M.-T. Weng & H.-L. Lee
a
Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University,
Taipei 11677, Taiwan;, Email: jasperwu@ntnu.edu.tw
b
Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University,
Taipei 11677, Taiwan
c
Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University,
Taipei 11677, Taiwan
d
Department of Communication Engineering, Oriental Institute of Technology, Pan-chiao,
Taipei 22061, Taiwan
Published online: 03 Apr 2012.

To cite this article: C.-J. Wu , B.-H. Chu , M.-T. Weng & H.-L. Lee (2009) Enhancement of Bandwidth in a Chirped Quarter-
Wave Dielectric Mirror, Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications, 23:4, 437-447, DOI: 10.1163/156939309787612365

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156939309787612365

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 J. of Electromagn. Waves and Appl., Vol. 23, 437–447, 2009

ENHANCEMENT OF BANDWIDTH IN A CHIRPED

QUARTER-WAVE DIELECTRIC MIRROR

C.-J. Wu, B.-H. Chu, and M.-T. Weng

Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Technology
National Taiwan Normal University
Taipei 11677, Taiwan
Downloaded by [The Aga Khan University] at 22:35 27 October 2014

H.-L. Lee
Department of Communication Engineering
Oriental Institute of Technology
Pan-chiao, Taipei 22061, Taiwan

Abstract—Based on the quarter-wave dielectric mirror (Bragg

reflector), a chirp scheme to enhance the bandwidth is proposed. We
model the chirped mirror by successively cascading a number of sub-
Bragg reflectors in which the optical lengths of the two constituent
dielectric layers in each sub-Bragg reflector are varied in a linear chirp
manner. With the change in the chirp parameter, it is seen that the
reflection bandwidth is pronouncedly enlarged due to the shift in the
bandedges. In addition, a broader bandwidth can be obtained when a
different chirp arrangement of structure is designed. Investigation of
angle-dependent reflectance for the TE wave is also given.

1. INTRODUCTION

A dielectric mirror also called a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR)

is made of identical bilayer of high and low refractive indices. At
some design wavelength λ0 , the optical lengths of the constituent
bilayer of a DBR are taken to be equal to the quarter-wavelength,
i.e., n1 d1 = n2 d2 = λ0 /4, where n2 < n1 is often assigned for the
refractive indices of the bilayer. In this quarter-wave stack, a high-
reflection band around λ0 can be easily produced [1]. This band coming
from the periodic layered structure is also called the photonic bandgap
Corresponding author: C.-J. Wu (jasperwu@ntnu.edu.tw).
 438 Wu et al.

(PBG) since the structure itself is now known as a photonic crystal

(PC). The role played by PBG is analogous as the electronic forbidden
energy band in solids. Within the PBG electromagnetic waves cannot
propagate through the PC. Therefore many novel applications using
PBG-based structures have been reported over the past decade [2–
4]. And the fundamental and applicational issues on photonic crystals
continue to attract much interest and attention at present [5–9].
In modern photonic applications a mirror with wider PBG is
usually required for some purposes. For a one-dimensional DBR, PBG
can be enhanced in some ways, depending on the refractive indices
chosen and structural change as well. According to the theory of DBR,
we know that the first PBG can be enlarged by increasing the index
contrast n1 /n2 [1]. With unequal optical lengths in the bilayer, a wider
PBG is achievable [10]. PBG can also be enhanced in a disordered one-
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dimensional photonic crystal [11, 12]. In addition, a heterostructured

DBR consisting of two or more different DBRs has a strong effect on
the enlargement of the reflection band [13–16].
As stated in [1], “Broadband reflectors can also be made by using
aperiodic layered medium in which the local period is an increasing
(or decreasing) function of position. Such structures are called chirped
periodic layered medium.” While it is known that a chirped DBR is
expected to have a wider reflection band, the reports on such issue are
few thus far [17, 18]. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the
bandwidth enhancement for a chirped quarter-wave DBR modeled by
a linear chirp scheme. It will be seen that PBG can be pronouncedly
enhanced due to the shift in bandedges which are controlled by the
chirp parameter introduced in this scheme. For TE wave, the effects of
incident angle on the bandwidth enhancement are also examined and
illustrated.

2. THEROY

A model structure of chirped Bragg reflector in this study is shown

in Fig. 1, in which n sub-DBRs are successively cascaded in sequence.
Each sub-DBR is made of two dielectric layers with refractive indices
n1 and n2 , and with thicknesses d1 and d2 , respectively. The number
of periods in the ith sub-DBR is denoted by Ni . The entire system
is modeled as a chirp Bragg reflector by using a linear chirp scheme,
which is established based on the change in the optical length for the
second constituent layer, i.e., n2 d2 = n1 d1 (1 + Bi) = λ0 (1 + Bi)/4,
where B is referred to as the chirp parameter with |B| < 1, and i =
0, 1, 2, . . . , n − 1 is the index number for each sub-DBR, respectively.
In this scheme we assume that i = 0 is the one to the left most which
 Enhancement of bandwidth in dielectric mirror 439

is assigned as an ideal quarter-wave stack. If a positive B is taken,

then the optical length n2 d2 in the sub-DBR will gradually increase.

Figure 1. A sketch of a chirped DBR consisting of n sub-DBRs

cascaded successively, in which the number of periods of ith sub-DBR
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is denoted by Ni and the total number of periods of the entire system


n−1
is N = Ni .
i=0

The reflectance for the whole system in Fig. 1 can be calculated

by making use of the transfer matrix method (TMM) in a stratified
medium [1]. Based on TMM, the total transfer matrix M is given by
  
n−1
M11 M12  
−1 Ni
M= = D−1
0 D1 P1 D−1
1 D2 P2 D2 D0 . (1)
M21 M22
i=0

The reflectance R is
 
 M21 2
R =   , (2)
M11 
In Eq. (1) the dynamical matrix for the medium is given by
 
1 1
D = , = 0, 1, and 2, (3)
n cos θ −n cos θ

for TE wave, and

 
cos θ cos θ
D = , = 0, 1, and 2, (4)
n −n

for TM wave, and the propagation matrix in each layer is expressed as

 
exp (iφ ) 0
P = , = 1, 2, (5)
0 exp (−iφ)
 440 Wu et al.

where
φ = k0 n d cos θ , = 1, 2, (6)
where k0 = ω/c the free-space wavenumber and θ is the ray angle in
layer determined by the Snell’s law of refraction. Here the incident
angle is denoted by θi = θ0 , for = 0.
For TE wave, the matrix of a single period in Eq. (1), M12 =
D1 P1 D−1 −1
1 D2 P2 D2 , can be obtained as
 
ATE BTE
M12 = , (7)
CTE DTE
where the matrix elements are given by
n2 cos θ2
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ATE = cos φ1 cos φ2 − sin φ1 sin φ2 , (8a)

n1 cos θ1
i i
BTE = cos φ1 sin φ2 + sin φ1 cos φ2 , (8b)
n2 cos θ2 n1 cos θ1
CTE = in1 cos θ1 sin φ1 cos φ2 + in2 cos θ2 cos φ1 sin φ2 , (8c)
n1 cos θ1
DTE = − sin φ1 sin φ2 + cos φ1 cos φ2 , (8d)
n2 cos θ2
The single-period matrix plays an important role in the reflectance for
a DBR. Expressions for the matrix elements for TM wave can also be
directly obtained. However, in this work we shall not consider TM
wave because it is known that the PBG of a DBR will be reduced in
this case [10]. This is beyond the current interest in this work.
Moreover, in a DBR the bandedges of PBG around design
wavelength λ0 are the solutions for the following equation [10],
   
2 n1 d1 cos θ1 +n2 d2 cos θ2 2 2 n1 d1 cos θ1 −n2 d2 cos θ1
cos π = ρTE cos π ,
λ λ
(9)
where ρTE is the TE-wave reflection coefficient of an interface between
media 1 and 2,
n1 cos θ1 − n2 cos θ2
ρTE = . (10)
n1 cos θ1 + n2 cos θ2
In the case of normal incidence, the left and right bandedges, in the
wavelength domain, for the quarter-wave stack, n2 d2 = n1 d1 = λ0 /4,
can be expressed as
π (n1 d1 + n2 d2 ) π (n1 d1 + n2 d2 )
λL = , λR = , (11)
cos−1 (−ρ) cos−1 (ρ)
 Enhancement of bandwidth in dielectric mirror 441

where ρ is given in Eq. (10) under normal incidence. The magnitude

of PBG is thus ∆λ = λR − λL .

3. NUMERICAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In what follows we shall present the calculated wavelength-dependent

reflectance for the chirped DBRs. As an example, let us take the total
number of periods, N = 20, for the entire system for our simulation.
Then the system is regarded as five sub-DBRs (with number of periods
Ni = 4, i = 1 − 4) that are successively cascaded. The refractive
indices for the constituent two layers are taken to be n1 = 2.32 and
n2 = 1.38, corresponding to zinc sulfide (ZnS) and magnesium fluoride
(MgF2 ), respectively, and n0 = 1 (free space). The design wavelength
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λ0 = 500 mm is chosen.

Figure 2. Calculated wavelength-dependent reflectance under normal

incidence for the distinct chirp parameter B = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3.
The reflection bandwidth is obviously enlarged at a larger value of B.

Figure 2 illustrates the calculated wavelength-dependent re-

flectance for different chirp parameter, B = 0 (black), 0.1 (red), 0.2
(blue), and 0.3 (brown) under the normal-incidence case. As can be
seen in the figure, when B increases, a result of band expanding is ob-
tained and the right bandedge is moved to larger wavelength, leading
to a wider PBG. In fact, we have found that the value of B should be
greater than 0.1 in order to have a substantial change in PBG compared
to ideal DBR (B = 0). Table 1 lists the bandedges depicted from the
figure and the corresponding bandwidth. The bandwidth is increased
from 167.6 nm (B = 0) to 319.2 nm (B = 0.3), showing that band-
width is strongly affected by the chirp. For an ideal unchirped DBR,
B = 0, based on Eq. (11) the calculated bandedges are λL = 429.7 and
 442 Wu et al.

λR = 597.7 nm in good agreement with the results in the table. For

B = 0, the chirp DBR is itself a cascading system and thus Eq. (9)
cannot be used to calculate the bandedges. However, if we model
the chirped DBR as a usual DBR with unequal optical lengths, i.e.,
n2 d2 = n1 d1 (1 + B) = λ0 (1 + B)/4, then using Eq. (11) the calculated
left edges are λL = 451.5 nm (B = 0.1), 473.6 nm (B = 0.2), and 496.2
(B = 0.3). The values are approximate to those in Table 1. As for
the right bandedge, we evaluate it by modeling it as a usual DBR with
unequal optical lengths, i.e., n2 d2 = n1 d1 1 + B̄ = λ0 1 + B̄ /4,
4
where B̄ = Bi/5 is the average chirp parameter. With this average
i=0
parameter and Eq. (11), the calculated right edges are λR = 656.6 nm
(B = 0.1), 713.9 nm (B = 0.2), and 769.9 (B = 0.3). Good approxima-
Downloaded by [The Aga Khan University] at 22:35 27 October 2014

tion to λR is given in the table for B = 0.1. However, more deviation

is seen for B = 0.2 and 0.3. Conclusively, the shift in left and right
bandedges can be approximated by a usual DBR with two different
unequal optical lengths n2 d2 /n1 d1 = λ0 (1 + B)/4 and λ0 1 + B̄ /4,
respectively. The approximation is good for a small value of chirp
parameter.

Table 1. The calculated band edges and bandwidth for Fig. 2.

θi B Left edge Right edge Bandwidth

0◦ 0 430.4 598 167.6
0◦ 0.1 453.9 661.3 207.4
0◦ 0.2 466.6 737.1 270.5
0◦ 0.3 489.7 808.9 319.2

In Fig. 2, we have examined the effects of the chirp parameter

for B ≤ 0.3. Figure 3 depicts the reflectance for B > 0.3 such as 0.4
(dotted line), 0.6 (broken line), and 0.9 (solid line). It can be seen that
the design wavelength λ0 is very near the left bandedge at B = 0.4.
In addition, there are some small ripples in the high-reflectance flat
band. The ripples are larger as B increases to 0.6, and 0.9. The
results indicate that the flat-PBG is no longer expected. For a larger
chirp parameter, the difference in the unequal-optical-length becomes
significantly large in the sub-DBRs which in turn leads to the entire
structure far from the quarter-wave stack, resulting in the inadequacy
for the purpose of a mirror. Together with previous statement, we
thus conclude that in this linear scheme a range of 0.1 ≤ B ≤ 0.3 is
adequate to the enhancement of PBG at which the design wavelength
is still falling in it.
 Enhancement of bandwidth in dielectric mirror 443

Figure 3. Calculated reflectance for chirp parameter B = 0.4, 0.6,

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and 0.9.

Figure 4. Calculated wavelength-dependent reflectance at a fixed

B = 0.1 for different incident angle θi = 0◦ , 30◦ , 45◦ , and 60◦ .

In Fig. 4, we show the reflectance at a fixed B = 0.1 for different

angle of incidence, θi = 0◦ (red), 30◦ (blue), 45◦ (brown), and 60◦
(green), respectively, for the TE wave. The black (B = 0) is for
the ideal DRB. The bandedges and bandwidth are read and listed
in Table 2. The results show that the PBG is moved to a shorter
wavelength as a whole. The bandwidth increases with increasing angle
of incidence. In addition, the band expanding is large at a large angle of
incidence. It can be further enlarged for angle larger than 60◦ because
it is known that the bandwidth will increase with increasing angle of
incidence for a TE wave [10]. The combined effect of Figs. 2 and 4 is
illustrated in Fig. 5, where both chirp parameter and incident angle
 444 Wu et al.
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Figure 5. Calculated wavelength-dependent reflectance for different

B-value and incident angle.

Table 2. The calculated band edges and bandwidth for Fig. 4.

θi B Left edge Right edge Bandwidth

0◦ 0.1 453.9 661.3 207.4
30◦ 0.1 428.8 639.6 210.8
45◦ 0.1 400.7 617.9 217.2
60◦ 0.1 369.8 598 228.2

Table 3. The calculated band edges and bandwidth for Fig. 5.

θi B Left edge Right edge Bandwidth

0◦ 0 430.4 598 167.6
0◦ 0.1 453.9 661.3 207.4
45◦ 0.2 409.9 691.9 282
60◦ 0.3 387.6 735.6 348

are increased simultaneously. It can be seen that PBG is strongly

enlarged. The bandedges and bandwidth are shown in Table 3.
Now if we set the optical length in each sub-DBR as n2 d2 /n1 d1 =
1.2, 1.1, 1, 0.9, and 0.8, then we have a reflectance as shown in Fig. 6.
Unlike previous structure where the ideal sub-DBR is designed in the
left most, we arrange it in middle. It is seen that in this case both
 Enhancement of bandwidth in dielectric mirror 445

left and right bandedges are moved so that the bandwidth is enhanced
greatly compared with Fig. 2, where a large amount of shift is seen only
in the right edge. However, in Fig. 6, a salient shift in both left and
right bandedges can be seen. This means the shift in the bandedges
can be controlled by the chirp structure. If the ideal sub-DBR is set on
the left and then the chirp enters from the second left to the right, the
shift of right bandedge is obtained, as shown in Fig. 2. However, for the
chirped results in Fig. 6, two bandedges can be moved substantially.
Table 4. The calculated band edges and bandwidth for Fig. 6.

θi B Left edge Right edge Bandwidth

0◦ 0 429.6 595.7 166.1
0◦ 0.1 418.3 609.9 191.6
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0◦ 0.2 412.3 634 221.7

0◦ 0.3 412.3 697.3 285

Figure 6. Calculated wavelength-dependent reflectance under

normal incidence for different B-value for another chirp arrangement
n2 d2 /n1 d1 = 1.2, 1.1, 1, 0.9, and 0.8.

4. SUMMARY

Based on the quarter-wave Bragg reflectors, a linearly chirped scheme

is proposed to enhance PBG. The broadening of PBG can be achieved
because of the shift of bandedge which is controlled by the chirp
parameter and the structural arrangement. The shift of right bandedge
 446 Wu et al.

is salient when the chirp is inserted gradually for the left to right.
However, the shift in both the right and left bandedges can be realized
by chirping the structure from the middle. Moreover, a broader PBG
can be obtained for a chirped DBR under oblique incidence.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

C.-J. Wu would like to thank for the support from the National Science
Council of the Republic of China under Contract No. NSC-97-2112-M-
003-013-MY3.

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